Engine starter



P. E. MACK ENGINE STARTER -Dec. 30, 1930.

Filed July 18. 1928 A @im mfc u @Ww/wg?" Patenged Dec. 3 0, 1930 UNITED .STATES PATENT "OFFICE PERRY E.- MACK, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO BRIGGS AND STRATTON COBPOBATION, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION F DELAWARE ENGINE STARTER Application mea my 1s, 192s. serial no. 293,721, 3

This invention relates particularly to start- Y lo scribed having means relasing its connection with the engine the instant of its starting. i

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a device of the character described having an automatic clutch which' is actuated to inoperative position by centrifugal force.

A still further object of this invention resides in the provision of a starting device of theA character described having a sprocket Wheel adapted to be driven by a cha-in upon movement of a foot lever, the chain disengaging the wheel when in inactive position. And amore specific object of this invention resides in the provision of a clutch carried by the engine shaft and rotatable by'a chain actuated by a starting leverhthe chain being retracted by spring means.

With the above and other objects in view 3o willich will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides ip the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly'dened by the appended claims, it being understood /that such changes in the precise embodiment ofthe hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

lustrated one complete'example ofthe physical embodiment of my invention constructed accordingto the best mode I have so far dervised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which: f

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a portion of a gasoline engine illustrating my improved starting mechanism applied thereto, parts ,being broken away and in section to illustrate structural details;`

In the accompanying drawing, I. have il Figure 2 is a. sectional view taken through Figure 1 on the plane of the line 2--2;

Figure 3 'is a cross sectional view taken through Figure 2 on the plane of the line 3-3, and illustrating the construction of the clutch mechanism; and

Figure 4 is a sectional viewtaken through Figure 1 on the plane of the line 4 4.

Referring now` more particularly to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 represents the base of a gasoline engine having a shaft 6 which ma be the main crank shaft having a fly-wheel mounted thereon. The fly-wheel is preferably prpvided with a tapered bore 9 in which thecorrespondingl tapered end 10 of the shaft 6 is positioned, being secured on the shaft by a special nut 11 and enclosed by a suitable guard or housing 8, secured to the ,engine frame.

The nut 11 has a stud 12 extended therefromwhich provides the bearing for a ratchet device 13 and has its inner end internally threaded to receive the threaded end 14 of the shaft. Impinged between the inner face v the stud 12 of nut 114 and is restrained against longitudinal movement therebn by the backV plate 15 at one end and an enlar ement-17 ormed adjacent the outer end o the nut..`

The ratchet housing 16 mounts a pair of pawls 18 which are positioned between the back plate 15 and an outer. plate 19 by rivets or studs 20 extended throusgh the plates 19 and 15 and the pawls 1,8. about rivets 22 between the plates 19 and 15 normally urge the pawls inwardly to en age their hooked ends 23Vv with the :teeth 24 o the ratchet'device 13, the springs 21 being of such 'strengthas to become inactive as soon as the engine starts running due to centrifugal force imposed on the outer free ends ef the pawls. A sprocket wheel 25 is formed onthe outer prings 21 coiled end of the ratchet device 13 with which a sprocket chain 26 is adapted to mesh to impart rotation tol the ratchet ydevice upon actuation of a foot pedal 27. The pedal V27 is hingedly connected at its inner endby a 'stud or pin 28 to a lever arm 29, havin a with a wheel member 34 to wind thereon, the

wheel member being freely pivotally mounted on the outer end of shaft 32 and consisting of a cup-shaped member 37 having an annular peripheral flange 38. 'An inner disc 39 riveted to the sideJof the cup-shaped member opposite its annular flange cooperates therewith to provide an annular recess or channel in which the chain is wound and unwound, the end of the chain being connected with the wheel by a stud 40 passing through the flange 38 and disc 39.

A coil spring 41 is positioned within the cup-shaped wheel member 34 and has one end secured to the wheel by being enga ed over an instruck hook `42 and its other en ysecured in a slot 43 in the outer end of the shaft 32, the spring normally tending to turn the wheel member in a direction to wind the chain thereon and thereby retract the lever and pedal to their inoperative positions as soon as released. The open medial face of the wheel ,memberand the spring 41 therein are enclosed by a cover 44 held in position by a ootter pin orother means44 passed through the shaft 32. A stop 45 riveted to the housing 8 limits the wmovement of the lever 29 and maintains the same spaced from the sprocket wheel 2 5 of the ratchet device and the outer free end of the lever arm 29 is provided with a web 46 which actsas a guard housing for the sprocket.

With the curved end of the lever arm enjgaging the stop 45,/the stud 33 connecting the chain with the lever arm 29 is in a position disengaging the chain from the s rocket whel, as illustrated in dottedflines 1n Figure To operate/the starting device, the user moves thepedal 27 out of its folded position engagmg its stop`30 with the stop 31 of the lever arm 29 and stepson the 'outer end thereof. The initial 'movement of the pedal en= gagesthe chain with the sprocket wheeland further movemen't rotates the ratchet device, which rotation is imparted tothe en 'ne shaft through thepawls 18. As soon ast e engine starts turning over its centrifugal force structed, has but a few parts an when not in use to prevent possible breakage due to its protruding beyond the-en 'ne.

From the foregoing description, ta en in connection with the accompan ing drawing,

itwill be readily apparent to t ose skilled 1n the art towhich an invention of the character described appertains, that Tprpvide a novel and improvedstarting device for gasoline engines and the 1ike`which is rug e ly conpositive in lits rele'ase of the connection between its actuating mechanism and the engine shaft.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a starting device for gas engines and the like havinga shaft, a member for imparting rotation to the shaft, a flexible drive member engageable with said member,l a pivoted lever, means connecting one end of theilexible drive member with the pivoted lever, means connected with the other :end of the flexible drive member for yieldably holding said flexible member in an inactive position, movement of said pivoted lever engaging the flexible drive member with the rotation ime parting member to turn the same, a foot pedal for moving the pivoted lever, and means pivotally connecting the foot pedal with the lever whereby the same may be folded therealong to an inactive position and extended to a positionof use.

2. In a device of the character described, a ldriven wheel, a liexible drivin member adapted to be operatively engage 4with the driven wheel, a lever movable to overlie said wheel, kmeans connecting one end of the driving member with the lvever whereby the flexible driving member is held out of operative engagement with the driven wheel when the lever is in its normal inactive which is position, 'and means for moving'said last member' to operatively engage the drivin member with thedriven wheel, continue 'movement of said lastmember' drawing the driving member over the driven Wheel to rotate the same. i

3. In a starting device of the character described, a wheel, a member havin a portion normally disposed over the periphery of the .Wheel andcovering substantially one side thereof to form a guard housin for the wheel, means for moving said mem r outfof its normal position, and means carried by drive member mounted on.

with the, shaft, a sprocket chain engageable` with the drive member to actuate the. same,

means for retracting the sprocket chain, and

vmeans whereby the sprocket chain is dis-` v v engaged from the drive member upon being retracted.

3o necting the drive member with the shaft, a

6. A starting device for gas engines and the like-including a sprocket chain, a sprocket wheel carried by the engine and adapted to be engaged by the 'chain and driven thereby upon a pull on the chain, and a drum remote from the,sprocket wheel for normally retracting the chain and on which the same is normally wound, and said cliain,'when retracted, being disengaged from the sprocket wheel.

7. In combination with an engine shaft, a drive member mounted thereon, means consprocket chain meshing with the drivemember, a. drum on which the sprocket chainis normally Wound,a foot pedal, means connecting the foot pedal with the chain whereby movement of the foot pedalis imparted to the drive member and to the engine shaft, and means for rewindin'g the chain on the drum member, when the foot lever is released.

8.111V a device of the character described, a shaft, a sprocket wheel having a ratchet connect-ion with said shaft, a drive chain normally disconnected from the sprocket wheel, a member to which one end of the drive chain is connected, and means for moving the member to engage the chain with the sprocket wheel, continued movement of said member drawingthe chain over the sprocket to rotate the same and with it said shaft.

9. In a starting device of the character described, a sprocket wheel, a member having a goose-neck portion normally positioned over the sprocket wheel and spaced thereover to provide a lguard for the sprocket wheel, a drive chain having one en d' connected with the goose-neck portion` of the member, and -means for movingthe member to engage the chain with the sprocket wheel to rotate it.

10. In a device of the character described, a sprocket wheel, a drive chain normally disconnected from the sprocket wheel, a member to which oneend of the Ndrive chain is connected, means for moving the member to engage the chain with the sprocket wheel, continued movement of said member drawing the cha-in over the sprocket and rotating it, a drum member with which the other end of the chain is connected, and means at all times tending to wind the chain on the drum member to retract the chain and the rst mentioned member to their positions dis-` connecting the -chain from the sprocket wheel.

11. In a starting device of the characterA described, a wheel, a ypivotally mounted member having agoose-neck portion on its outer free end normally overlying the wheel, a rotatably mounted drum member, and a ilexible drive member normally disengaged from the wheel and having one end connected with the extreme end ofthe goose neck portion of the first member and its other end connected with the drummember to wind thereon, movement of the free end of the -lirst member aiway from the wheel causing the flexible drive member to engage and rotate the wheel.

12. A'starting device for engines and the like, comprising a rotatable drive member, a movably mounted member having a part normally disposed in front of and covering the rotatable drive member to form a guard therefor, and means whereby movement of the second mentioned member away from the drive member imparts rotation to the drive member.

13. In a startin device for engines andthe A like having a sha a drive member connectwith the curved end of the lever arm, a drumrotatable about the axis of the pivotal mounting for the lever arm to which the other end ioo of the sprocket chain is connected, and meansV yieldably tending to wind the sprocket chain on the drum and hold the lever arm in its position overlying the drive member, thev connection of the sprocket chain with the curved end of the lever arm being so located that when the lever arm is in said position overlying the drive member, the sprocket chain is disengaged therefrom.

14. Ina starting device for engines and the like having a shaft, a drive member connectible withthe shaft, a lever arm having a curved end, means'pivotallymounting the lever arm for movement to and from a position with its curved end overlying the drive member to form a guard therefor, a drive chain having one end connected with the curved end of the lever arm, a drum about which the other end of the drive chain is wound, the chain being disengaged from the drive member when the lever arm is in its position overlying the drive member, and being engageable therewith to impart rotation thereto upon movement of the lever arni away from the drive member, and means connected with the lever arm for imparting said movement to the lever arm upon a direct downward movement of said means. 5;) 15. In a starting device for engines and the like having a shaft, a drive member mounted on the shaft, means for connecting the drive member with the shaft, a member having `a goose neck portion on its outer free end, means pivotally mounting the member for movement to and from a position at which its goose neck portion overlies the drive member to form a guard therefor, a drive chain having one end connected with the goose neck portion of the member, a re' tractin drum rotatably mounted adjacent f the axls of the pivotal mounting for the member to which the other end of the drive chain is connected, whereby the retractin drum tends to wind the chain thereon an maintain the member in its position overlying the drive member, the drive chain being disengaged from the drive member when the member is in said position, and a foot pedal vconnected with the member for imparting Y Y, my signature.

movement thereto away from the drive memL ber to engae the drive chain with the drive member an rotate the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto af- PERRY E, MACK. 

